Despite Everything (Paperback)

~ Aaron Cometbus (Author) "I MET HIM THREE WINTERS AGO AT OCEANO CAMP-GROUND, NEAR PISMO BEACH..." (more)
Key Phrases: San Francisco, New York, East Bay (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Cometbus is considered a classic in the subterranean world."

Product Description

Initially a showcase for underground music reviews, Cometbus has evolved to include interviews, essays, short stories, and reader forums. Covering everything from travel adventures to dumpster diving, Cometbus forms a literary soundtrack for the lives of its readers. Despite Everything contains dozens of photos, illustrations, and the best material from all 48 issues of Cometbus, one of the original punk zines. "One of the finest examples of self-publishing in the United States today.... [Cometbus] could be the best-loved zine ever." — San Francisco Bay Guardian

Product Details

• Paperback: 608 pages
• Publisher: Last Gasp; illustrated edition edition (August 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0867195614
• ISBN-13: 978-0867195613
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.8 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #309,949 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars catch the wave of wanderlust, August 6, 2002

By	A. Pai - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

aaron cometbus is a punk[s] punk. he scrounges for food in dumpsters, scams his way around the US on greyhound, slips in and out of punkhouses and seems to live off nothing more than coffee and cigarettes. he has the eye of a sociologist and the soul of a poet and the haircut of a fool. inside this book you will find sly analysis of cooperatives, cliques, anarchy, imperialism, political philosophy, and also riotous tales of drunken revelry, crazy scavenger hunts, touring with green day, history of berkeley, hobos, and above all an amazing incendiary PASSION, for exploration and observation and questioning of the status quo. if cometbus has meant anything to me over the years it has meant a curiosity about society that stems from true love of people (not "the people", but people as individuals), & the promise of a life that doesn't revolve around wage slavery or greed or a desire for consumer electronics. i don't live such a life, nor do you; but "despite everything" proves it is possible. if nothing else, the cometbus omnibus will make you want to take a detour the next time you walk past an alley.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible, February 5, 2004

By A Customer

Even writing a review of this book seems a little strange to me. I can't imagine what Aaron would say about someone writing a review of his book in the service of a big company, but I guess this is a venue to get the word out and let people know what a great experience reading Cometbus is.

If you're a person like me who has radical beliefs and politics, but who also enjoys living a quiet, straight-laced, lifestyle; if you worry about things, and have episodes of social anxiety, and if you're a worrier in general and like to stay at home and hang out with your close group of friends and sometimes have trouble meeting new people or think people enjoy being left alone, than this book can sometimes make you feel bad about your life choices and the decisions you've made. This happens mainly b/c Aaron just went out and lived this crazy hand-to-mouth existence in the service of experiencing the world and the people in it, challenging the very existence of social norms as a concept. And that's why the book is so great. It's filled with great stories and anecdotes and is totally imbued with this sense of freedom and wonder. The world that Aaron lives in is so real and vibrant, populated by people dealing with real struggles and real issues. And Aaron is totally tapped into his own empathy and sympathy for those people. He totally loves life, and is lucky for it. And readers are lucky that he put it on paper over and over again in Cometbus.

This book, like the 'zine, is, IMO, a classic piece of American writing, and hopefully, someday, it will get more recognition. It is a document of an ethos and way of living that is still totally marginalized in our society. And Aaron challenges his readers to confront how their own lives keep them from seeing that world and experiencing it.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thanks, Aaron, October 4, 2002

By	Steven Litt (Allendale, NJ USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Aaron Cometbus and this book just make me happy. Reading the adventures and observations of this free spirited traveler is an inspiration not to write, but to LIVE. Thanks, Aaron. :)